Team Shunya inaugurates Project H Naught

Team Shunya has held the inaugural ceremony of their solar-powered house, Project H Naught, at the IIT Bombay Campus. Students from IIT Bombay and Academy of Architecture welcomed members from faculty and industry for the inaugural event in which their entry for Solar Decathlon 2014 was unveiled. The 700-sq. ft. house was inaugurated by Padma Vibhushan Dr Anil Kakodkar, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. Dr Ajay Mathur, Director General of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and Venkatesh Valluri, Chairman & President, Ingersoll Rand India.

Commenting during the inauguration ceremony, Venkatesh Valluri, Chairman & President, Ingersoll Rand India, shared, “Innovation is critical for emerging economies like ours and at Ingersoll Rand, we have not only built an organization-wide culture of innovation, we also collaborate extensively with the external world to investigate new technologies and create path- breaking solutions. Our collaboration with Team Shunya is an initiative to demonstrate ‘social’ and ‘innovation’ convergence that can create lasting impact on societies in emerging economies.”

The day began with a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony along with a traditional coconut breaking event. The people present were given a tour of the building where students explained the various innovations and concepts implemented by them in this house. The guests present were especially intrigued by the PV panel tracking system, which was demonstrated. From there, the event moved onto the VMCC main auditorium.

The students made a presentation, giving an overall insight into the 70-member strong team and the project. The distinguished guests were also appreciative of all the efforts put into this project, especially the unique hands-on experience afforded to the students. Senior management of industry giants was also present to encourage the students in their effort. The house was opened to public following the inaugural ceremony, where students from four different colleges were in attendance to see the project.